WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 149: A Flame Born from Ashes (4)

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Each time Kyle blinked his frozen eyelids, the Wyvern grew larger. The massive creature gliding calmly between the dark clouds possessed an overwhelming presence.

Ksalak...

Kyle murmured inwardly. More than four years had passed, yet the black Wyvern had not changed at all. Its unusually massive body, its pitch-black scales, and its blood-red eyes were all the same as before.

They matched memories of a past he did not want to recall.

How many times had this happened now?

While Kyle was lost in thought, Ksalak noticed him and stopped gliding. The black Wyvern slowly descended. Despite its enormous body, it beat its wings with surprising grace and landed softly on the snowfield not far from Kyle.

Thud.

When its huge hind feet touched the ground, vibrations traveled through the earth beneath Kyle's boots. Ksalak swept its blood-red gaze around once, then naturally lowered its head.

A knight sat atop the black Wyvern's back.

The knight wore full black armor like that of his Wyvern. A dark crimson cloak flowed from his shoulders to below his ankles.

Crunch.

The black knight descended to the ground. After stroking Ksalak's head a few times as it looked at him, he turned his gaze toward Kyle.

"It's been a long time, Blue Wolf."

"......."

"Four years, has it been?"

The voice that emerged from behind the helmet was extremely low. Kyle had heard it before, and it was familiar. After glaring at the black knight for a moment, he finally opened his mouth.

"Cassius Mortein...."

"......."

"Did you know I was in the Federation?"

Cassius answered as though it were nothing.

"His Majesty the Emperor's prophecy said so. I knew."

"Then pushing back the front lines of the Kingdom of Russel was not your only objective?"

"Our goals were twofold. First, to push the border as far east as possible. Second... to retrieve the traitorous First Princess Elysia and kill Kyle Baldrick, the last surviving Commander of the Knights of Ash."

Kyle closed his mouth at Cassius's words. He had expected it to some extent, so he was not greatly surprised.

So they did know.

That was all he thought.

The Empire considered recovering Elysia important enough to commit two Wyverns when fewer than twenty remained after the Northern War. There was no chance they would calmly give up after two members of the Celestial Knights vanished overnight. They would investigate the truth of the incident and try to resolve it somehow.

What Kyle had not expected was that they would pursue him this relentlessly even after he had entered the Federation. The Empire was not powerful enough to face all of Velia at once. He had never imagined that, still suffering from the aftermath of its war with Hailen, it would suddenly declare war on the Federation.

Perhaps even Elandor, the nation the First Emperor had founded, was no more than a disposable chess piece to him.

"Ah, this brings back memories. It was snowing that day too, just as it is today."

Cassius suddenly raised his head and watched the light snow drifting down. Tiny white flakes melted into droplets the moment they landed on his pitch-black armor.

"Do you remember?"

He murmured as though reminiscing. Snow continued to fall over the black gauntlet he had raised. His Wyvern, Ksalak, occasionally snorted as if displeased by the cold weather.

"Your teacher, Rowen Ragnell, the former Commander of the Knights of Ash, was an excellent knight. At least when it came to the sword, no one on this continent could compare to him."

"......."

"It was unfortunate. Had he been born in the Empire, he would have made a name for himself as the continent's finest swordsman of his age. Had he been born and raised in the Federation, he would not have died so futilely. I never expected him to show such strength with Izra's Thorn embedded in him. It nearly became quite dangerous."

Cassius slowly curled his gauntleted hand into a fist. There was an odd amusement in his voice, as though he were recalling a pleasant memory.

"The sword technique he showed at the end... was astonishing. I had never seen a sword like that in my life. It was a valuable experience that broadened my horizons."

The black gauntlet moved slowly and pointed beneath his helmet. Faint sword marks remained around the neck of his breastplate and beneath the helmet at his chin. Like deep scars that had resisted every attempt to erase them, they remained as traces of years gone by.

Did the sword technique he showed at the end mean that Rowen had forced back Izra's Thorn in his final moments?

Kyle could only vaguely imagine it. He could not picture the details.

That was only natural. Kyle and the other members had barely survived by retreating while using Rowen as bait. On top of that, Kyle had never seen Rowen fight at full strength. They often operated separately, and there had been few opponents worthy of making Rowen go all out.

I don't know how Rowen died.

That was because Kyle had run until the very end.

For a long time, all he could do was writhe in guilt every night. Even that became unbearable, so he had erased his own emotions.

How had Rowen died? Had Cassius Mortein's sword pierced him? Had wyvern knights surrounded him and cut off his head while he could barely use mana? Or had he burned himself away gloriously, hoping his death would buy even a little time?

"Are you curious? About how he died?"

Cassius spoke in a mocking tone as he watched Kyle's expression slowly change. For the first time, Kyle felt the emotions he had suppressed begin to rise.

"...Shut up. You're nothing but puppets who move according to the Emperor's will."

"Do you still hold a grudge over Izra's Thorn?"

Cassius glanced west, in the direction he had flown from. The sky, where snow still fell, remained gray.

"If so, all I can say is that you are childish. Good and evil mean nothing in war. History is written by the victors. And you yourself must have used northern citizens as bait after Rowen Ragnell died."

A faint trace of pity lingered in his voice.

Kyle pressed his lips together. Unlike the early days of the war, when Rowen died and the situation became hopeless, Kyle had stopped caring about the means. He had not hesitated to use torture. It was hard to understand why the other members had chosen him as the next Commander.

Someone as weak, emotional, and cowardly as me.

Why?

"Though there is no point talking about it now. It is time to bring these tedious four years to an end. Time to honor the spirit of the dead former deputy commander."

Cassius moved his Wyvern back and stepped forward. With a faint clinking sound, the crimson cloak hanging down his back fluttered lightly.

Did he believe fighting alongside his Wyvern would be a hindrance now that he was on the ground? Did he think he could deal with Kyle easily on his own? Or was he simply worried about his Wyvern getting injured?

Whatever the reason, the knight in pitch-black armor did not show the slightest sign of tension. There was no opening either.

That was true even though he did not hold a proper weapon.

"Before that, let me ask you one thing. Where is the Princess?"

Cassius looked behind Kyle, toward the east, the rear of the Kingdom of Russel. Only one set of footprints remained along the path Kyle had taken. All that could be seen was a pair of tracks slowly fading beneath the falling snow.

"We separated a long time ago because we disagreed. I don't know where she went, so you won't be able to catch her."

"Is that so? It looks different to me."

Clear laughter came from within the black helmet.

"Seeing that you are not wearing your black cloak, it seems you gave it to the Princess. You were together when you stayed in Marent, so you cannot have parted ways long ago."

"......."

"Do you still think you can defeat me?"

The black helmet tilted slightly to the side. Kyle looked toward the distant ridgeline with narrowed eyes, then spoke.

"We'll have to find out."

"No. You are afraid. Not of a vague fear of death, but that the lives of those who died for you will have been wasted. You are trembling over the thought that Hailen's destruction will vanish into history without meaning. That the northern bloodline will be completely cut off here. Isn't that right?"

Cassius spoke with certainty. Kyle stared silently at the pitch-black armor.

Am I afraid?

Yes, I am. I have always been afraid. Afraid that I might be the only one left alive after the Northern War. Afraid that there was no longer anyone in this world who understood me.

That had not changed much even now. Death itself did not frighten him, but the weight of those he carried on his shoulders was suffocatingly heavy.

Still, he was not trembling blindly as he once had.

Because he had seen a small hope.

There were Ash Knights who had survived in the Federation.

He had somehow sent Elysia to the rear.

And if he could at least wound Cassius Mortein severely enough that he could no longer move...

Elysia and Grand Duke Rivelius would handle the rest. It would be even better if Kyle could perish together with Cassius Mortein.

So...

"If you think this will be like the Ligrid Mountains, you will be disappointed. It will be very different from when you killed Damian Carvello."

A low voice pierced Kyle's ears as though it had seen through his thoughts. Kyle frowned and asked,

"How did you find out? We erased the traces."

"Serentia is not the only intelligence guild. It seems you tried hard to avoid pursuit, but it is impossible to erase every trace of a battle perfectly. Do you have Damian and Lorentz's swords now?"

Kyle did not answer. He had handed both Inventory Pouches to Elysia. The swords of Damian and Lorentz, the wyvern knights Kyle had killed near the border between Brendel and Terban, were inside them as well.

There was no reason to give Cassius more information.

"Then there is no need for further conversation."

After the silence that followed, Cassius's amused voice sounded again. He extended his black gauntlet forward.

In the hazy air where snow drifted down, a jet-black greatsword emerged through rippling space.

"I will yield the first strike."

"......."

"The curse must still remain, so that should make things fair. I am looking forward to seeing what you have done these past four years."

The jet-black greatsword hung at Cassius's side beneath his black armor. A sudden wind sent the crimson cloak streaming behind the hand gripping its hilt.

Kyle stared at him in silence, then raised his head. The falling snow seemed to have weakened slightly.

Where was Elysia by now?

How far could he go?

He did not think he could win. Kyle knew coldly that his chances in this battle were slim. He knew better than anyone how powerful Cassius Mortein was.

A body that had declined from its prime. The lingering effects of the Thorn.

Even so, he had remained because there were values more important than his life.

Because the sight of that back, which he had already seen once, was engraved deeply in his mind.

Rowen, just as you did.

With death before him, his heart instead became calm. Once the rage that had flared like wildfire vanished, the emptiness it left behind was filled with chilling composure.

Kyle surveyed his surroundings with sunken eyes. In the middle of the silent snowfield, there were only three beings: himself, Cassius Mortein, and Ksalak, the black Wyvern standing far away.

Prisia. Was this another arrangement you had prepared?

What was it like in the future you saw? Did I die? Or did I live? Did my sword reach him even once?

Please, let me atone here.

Kyle slowly lowered his gaze. The star iron sword at his waist gleamed sharply as it always had.

He slowly moved his right hand and gripped the hilt. As he raised it, the bright blade slid free.

The ring on his left hand was already shining in five colors. Amid the clear metallic sound spreading like an echo, the two knights faced one another.

Footnotes:

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